


Ain't No Rest (for the wicked)

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bonding, Bounty Hunter/Space Pirate Keith, Crash Landing on an Abandoned Planet, Established Friendship, Lowkey anti-galra racism, M/M, Stranded Together, Swearing, Vigilante Lance, conflict of interest, written pre-season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 00:15:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: Keith, a bounty hunter desperate for money, gets a hefty job offer from a Galra commander- capture the infamous vigilante called Sharpshooter for a hefty sum.Of course, it gets complicated from there.





	Ain't No Rest (for the wicked)

**Author's Note:**

> I started this back the day after I binged season 2 in one go bc I wanted a space pirate/vigilante Klance au  
> it all went downhill from there.  
> Enjoy!

Unaril.

A festering cesspool of a city. Guards were on the streets at all times, but any good criminal knew they were just for show. The right amount of credits slipped into the right hands would easily make all of your troubles with the law go away. Or the money would, at the very least, motivate the guards to turn a blind eye to whatever was happening. Armed with that knowledge, the city belonged to thieves and murderers of all shapes and sizes.

The day was drawing to a close, the second sun barely peeking out of the jagged edges of the horizon. The sky was a mix of dark, inky black and splotchy traces of shimmering gold as the second sun slowly slunk down to join its companion. The marketplace was nearly dead as Keith moved inbetween the empty stalls. Any remaining merchants were jittery, staring at him as he approached with frightened eyes. Like he was going to bother trying to extort the goods they were stuffing into their bags. 

A guard leaning against a wall eyed him warily, yellow eyes glinting in the dark. Their four arms were crossed in front of their uniform, the faint green glow from their skin reflecting on the dirt-mottled metal. They didn't utter a word to him as he approached; only meeting Keith's stare with their own. A silent warning.

_Step out of line, and you'll regret it._

Keith had his own message to send.

_You're full of shit._

Keith stopped in place as a door to his left suddenly slammed open, the reason why stumbling out to the wall. Three small lime green squirrelly xirgütils swarmed the poor Galran, each holding three jagged pin-like weapons in their hands. Dark pink stained the blades of each one. It wasn't too hard to figure out why. They kept jamming them into the young-looking Galran, their legs giving out once their back was against the wall. The Galran struggled, but the xirgütils simply kept chittering in their strange language with what sounded like glee and stabbing in and out.

Enough was enough.

Keith stepped up to them. "Mi'ra ostagül!" The xirgütils stopped for a moment, looking up at him with filmy white eyes. He tried again. "Get out of here! Shoo!" They tilted their heads in confusion in almost perfect sync. He sighed. They probably didn't even understand any language other than their own. But he knew one thing the creatures would probably respond to.

He hissed, positioning his fingers like claws. One made a sound like a dolphin shrieking before they all scurried off of their victim. Keith took a look back at the guard.

He knew they'd seen what happened. There was no way they couldn't have. There was nothing else happening in the nearly-empty marketplace. But now, they were suddenly oh-so-preoccupied with something else. So much so that their eyes focused on a different wall. They didn't move, didn't do a single thing to help.

Of _course_ not. After all, it was _just a Galra. They probably did something to deserve this._

Asswipe.

Any anger or annoyance he had was immediately snuffed out when the Galra groaned. He turned his head back around to look at them.

They wore a pretty standard black leather jacket, now slashed full of holes. One of the sleeves was ripped almost entirely off. Their pure white tank top with small fuschia Galran designs lined around the hem was heavily stained with dark pink blood. He knelt down to their level, accessing the damage. The cuts looked pretty deep.

Unaril's hospital wasn't too far away. The Galran looked lanky and relatively young, so he could probably carry them and get there quickly. "Hey," he said. "Can you understand me?" The Galran nodded, pure yellow eyes half lidded. Their breathing was getting rushed and ragged. Not a good sign. "I'm gonna try to pick you up, okay?" He placed one hand carefully on their shoulder, the other with his arm looped under their legs to rest on the outer thigh away from him.

They let out a throaty cry when he moved them up about an inch. "Reda," they said weakly. _Stop._ Keith set them back down as gingerly as he possibly could. They turned their head in the direction he was heading. They raised a hand to shakily point out.

About four feet away from them, a faintly-glowing yellow amulet lay crumpled on the dusty ground. The Galran tried reaching for it, but couldn't quite do it. They only winced and clutched at one of the many wounds when they tried shuffling closer.

"Stranger," they said, voice shaky. "Ma serrana," _My thanks,_ "I know... you've tried to help-" a coughing fit wracked their body, interrupting them for a few moments. They took a shaky breath before continuing again. "-all you can. But if you would do a dying stranger one last favor, please..." A trembling hand landed on his. "I-I want to die with my father's amulet."

Keith nodded. What else could he do? Stand up and keep walking? Sure, he _could,_ but it just wouldn't... feel right. His employer would have to wait a few more moments.

He didn't bother getting up, just scooted over on his knees until the amulet was in reach. It looked... pretty expensive. The chain, even covered in dirt, still glittered like newly-minted iridescent scales. The small round jewel was the most stunning part. He'd rarely seen quintessence like the Galra Empire created, but he was certain there were traces of it in the gem. Its glow would pulse in and out every couple seconds, like a heart beating.

He didn't take long to admire it, though. His 'friend' didn't have much longer. He passed the amulet into the Galran's hands, who clutched it and held it to their chest.

"Bless you," they said, tears forming at the edge of their eyes. "Wáran gal, kadan." _Honor to you, my heart._

Keith couldn't help but smile. Kadan was the highest name of honor for Galra. It was a sign of trust- in what way exactly was a debate. Because kadan means 'my heart', it was usually reserved for deeply trusted romantic partners, but it could still be considered platonic. It just meant someone who's done more for you than anyone else ever has. Someone as essential to you as your actual heart; someone you would be changed forever without. 

The fact that this stranger was willing to say that after so little gave Keith a bit of insight on what their life had been like. It made a pang of sadness strike him at the thought.

"It was the least I could do for you," Keith spoke, standing back up. He brushed some dirt off of his dark pants. He smiled down at the Galran softly. "Vrepit sa."

The Galra nodded weakly. "Vrepit sa..." He barely heard their hoarse whisper before they stilled with a rattling exhale.

Keith spared them one last glance before continuing on his way.

Other than the occasional guard who looked at him with blatant suspicion, no one honest was out by this time. All citizens and merchants already had their homes secure for the night, doors locked and makeshift curtains draped over every visible window. Out the corner of his eye, he could see shapes lingering in the shadows. Lying in wait for someone who looked like an easy enough target. He saw a human one step toward him, eyes glistening with greedy curiosity.

Keith took his mother's old Blade of Marmora knife out and activated it. It grew out until the point lay pressed against the soft skin of their throat. One flick of his hand, one wrong move, would make his would-be-thief's life much more difficult. Not to mention much shorter. They knew that, from the way they stiffened up and looked between him and the blade nervously.

He looked at them coldly. "Don't even think about it." Just to make sure he got his point across, he pressed the blade in a tiny bit more. Not enough to fully break the skin, but _very_ close to doing so. "Understand?"

They nodded.

Keith deactivated his sword, willing it to shrink back down into a knife. He stuck it back into the leather holster on his belt and continued to his destination at the end of the street.

There were many signs in many different languages out in front of the old building. Some were neon and fully lit, others on posters tacked on near the front door. Most were just the name of the place in Galran or Olkarian or an Earthen language or many others. Some were old wanted posters so glitchy and staticky it was near impossible to read them. Up above the doorway rested a cursive neon sign in English illuminated by red light- Purgatory.

An all-species bar he'd been at a couple times before. The drinks were usually pretty alright, but left a strong aftertaste he'd have for a full day afterwards. It was an ideal spot for making deals, considering how few and far between public meeting spots for shady affairs were without any questions asked. In Purgatory, people usually minded their own business.

Keith liked that.

So when a new contact of his- a Galra Empire Commander named Sendak- sent him a message to meet him here, Keith didn't mind. It wasn't like people were practically jumping at the chance to hire him. Even if Sendak was a bit of a high-and-mighty prick, he was a high-and-mighty prick with a high-and-mighty paycheck. Keith would take anything he could possibly get. 

Keeping Ol' Red up and running was expensive. Buying another ship that could compare to her was even more so.

A giant yupper stood at the doorway, with a pendant hanging around her neck showcasing her name- Laika. The owner's pet. She glanced at him as he walked toward the doorway steps.

"Hey," he said. "Is Sendak here already?"

"Yup," she said, her voice deep as usual.

He gave her a nod, patting the top of her head as he went up the steps. She might be wrong, considering the fact that yuppers usually had very limited vocabulary. But if she was wrong, it wouldn't kill him to wait. Maybe try some alcoholic nunvil while he was at it. The regular version was awful, but maybe by some divine luck (probably witchcraft), it might taste a bit better.

The lazy stench of alcohol and sharp tang of cigarillo smoke hit him immediately when he opened the door. With so many diverse options available, all the scents always mixed together to make a smell so bad, it made your stomach do flips without drinking a single drop. Made it easy to tell when a first-time customer walked through the door. Once you got used to the smell, however, it wasn't so sickening.

Still a bit of a kicker at first, though.

The place looked pretty much the same as it did when he visited a couple months back. Most of the seats were either booths lining most of both walls or some old stools at the chrome-looking bar where the hulking four armed and red-skinned alien bartender- lovingly nicknamed Fluffy- was glaring at him. Posters of all kinds lined the walls- ranging from a framed and faded poster he couldn't understand to a scratched up advertisement for Vrepit Sal's. Four round, sleek tables stood in the middle of the room; patterned exactly like the four dotted side of dice. Probably just to fill up empty space in the middle of the room.

He glanced around. No sign of Sendak just yet. Which was fine. He could wait awhile.

Two of the round tables were in use. One by a lone and very still Olkarian passed out and slumped over the table's surface. At first glance, he thought they were dead. Then they twitched, letting out a loud snort as he stepped closer.

Yup, they were definitely alive.

The other table was being used by four Arusians, three of which sitting on old books to sit at an average level. They stopped their conversation as he passed on his way to the bar. He could feel their stares practically drilling holes into his back. It was hard to make out what they exactly were saying over the old rock-and-roll song playing on the ancient jukebox in the corner, but he could hear their hushed whispers. Probably gossiping amongst themselves. He didn't pay them much mind.

Fluffy raised a brow at him. "Keith," his gravelly voice like boulders tumbling down a mountain sounded. "What'll it be, _basra?_ " He gave Keith an obvious pointed glare at the Galran name. What it really meant was up for debate, but the closest translation for it was _no-good piece of shit._

Have a gunfight with some bandits in the bar _one time,_ and you never hear the end of it. He could still see bullet indents in some parts of the walls. Guess they hadn't gotten around to fully fixing them yet. He had no idea why, though. Especially considering that gunfight happened two years ago.

Keith didn't let the name get under his skin. He'd been called much worse over the years. At least he was still allowed in Purgatory. That was good enough for him.

"Love you too, buddy," he flashed Fluffy a sarcastic smile, putting his elbows on the bar. Fluffy rolled his eyes and placed a glass by his elbow. "Do you guys still carry hard nunvil?"

Fluffy nodded. "You sure you want that, though?" He asked, looking at Keith questionably. "Stuff's only got enough alcohol to make it taste worse than _regular_ nunvil."

"Is that even possible?"

Fluffy actually snickered at that. "Somehow, yeah."

"Alright," Keith said. "I'll pass on that. Get me some ryncol, instead."

"Comin' right up," Fluffy said with a nod, turning around to the wall. A giant bronze-looking door was about as long as the bar itself, with a small keypad at the bottom left corner. Fluffy pressed the small buttons with well-practiced ease. Considering how just one of his fingers could press four buttons at once, that was certainly an achievement. The door shifted forward an inch, and slid open.

Hundreds of different bottles lined the fridge holders. Each one was unique in either size, shape, color, labelling, or a combination of the four. Fluffy found the dark green ryncol bottle easily- the bottle itself about half empty already. Which wasn't really surprising. It was a pretty popular drink. Also a pretty good one, if not a bit too weak for his taste.

But he wasn't really looking to get drunk, so ryncol it was.

Fluffy poured some into Keith's glass. It was mostly clear, with just the slightest red tint to it. A few stray bubbles clung to the glass, but they rose to the surface quickly.

"Put it on your tab?" Fluffy asked, twisting the cap back on the bottle. Honestly, with how high his tab was, he could pay to burn the place down and build it back up again good as new. But whatever money he didn't spend on Red and other essentials, he used to pay a bit of it off.

Honestly, he'll probably never be able to pay it off. But it's not like Purgatory would turn away a somewhat-paying customer.

Keith nodded, taking a sip. The ryncol slid down his throat smoothly, and he relished the small bit of tingling warmth blooming in his chest after he swallowed. It was always pleasant.

Now for the less-pleasant part.

Waiting for Sendak to actually show up. Then actually dealing with the guy.

Now, most of his employers weren't pleasant people. Good, honest people don't usually have much use for mercenaries. He'd had a few odd ones spread out here and there, but not enough to make a real difference. So naturally, he knew dealing with shady people a lot was just part of the job.

Sendak, however, was a whole other story.

Most of Keith's employers liked to keep to themselves as much as they possibly could. Another part of the job- anonymity. He learned quickly not to ask too many unnecessary questions. So he usually didn't know much about whoever was hiring him.

Sendak was the only exception to that rule. An infamous Galra commander who led one of the deadliest fleets in the Great War a couple years back. No command had been too brutal for him to carry out; no planet safe enough from him. He was the poster child for how most people saw Galra- arrogant, aggressive monsters who would do anything the Emperor ordered them to. But there was another reason Keith hated his guts. One only a little bit more personal.

His half-brother, Takashi, enlisted in the war. Dad had been proud, spamming Keith's comm with countless text messages for weeks. The usual gushing and prodding about Keith's own very private life, like _Takashi just landed in Ilum. He asked how you were doing._ and _He's defending the Galaxy. What've_ you _been up to lately?_ A couple times, he seriously considered throwing the device down a ravine just so he wouldn't have to deal with it anymore.

Then the messages stopped. For nearly two weeks, Dad wouldn't respond to any messages Keith sent.

One late night, piloting Red to a nearby port while his old partners slept, his comm beeped. A new text message. From Dad. Three simple words that had immediately filled him with worry and made him change course.

_Come home. Now._

Apparently on Ilum, an Altean colony planet, Takashi's squad met Sendak's fleet. About 50 people against hundreds. For days, they fought to keep the colonies safe. On the last day, Takashi faced the Commander by himself to buy time for the Altean reinforcements. The Galrans eventually retreated, outmatched by the unexpected mass of Altean support.

But not before Takashi lost most of his right arm and ended up with an array of scars across his body, including a long jagged one on the bridge of his nose. Some had healed and faded over time, but most of them would be permanent. He had to go through months of physical therapy to get used to his new prosthetic arm.

And all because of the prick Keith was probably gonna do some job for. If it wasn't for the promise of a paycheck, Keith would probably stab him the millisecond he got close enough.

The door opened to reveal the man he both did and did not want to see. Sendak, dressed in his typical Galra armor. A hush fell over the room at the sight, save for the jukebox' music. All conversations stopped as the assorted people in the booths saw who the bar's new visitor was. Even with the peace treaties between the Galra Empire and the Altean Kingdom, people still worried Galrans would snap and begin another war. And who better than the living, breathing Galra stereotype himself?

Sendak didn't seem to mind the attention hyper-focused on him. Guy like him was probably used to it. He just walked in, eyes on Keith at the bar. He gestured one hand to an empty booth nearby. Keith nodded, picked up his drink off the counter, and walked about five steps to his destination.

"So," Keith started, sliding into the old leather seat. Sendak followed suit opposite him. "Let's cut to the chase. What do you want?"

Sendak raised a brow at him. "Do you usually talk to your employers like that, Kogane?"

He knew damn well why Keith was talking to him like that. He could see it in his face. Part of him was itching to wipe that look off. 

Instead, Keith took another drink. The warmth swirling in his system helped calm him down. Gave him a chance to remember why the two were talking in the first place. He might not like it, but he needed the money.

"I don't like wasting time," he said, placing his glass back upon the wooden table. "I figured you'd appreciate that, _Commander."_

"Fair enough," Sendak said, with the closest thing to grudging respect Keith would probably get from him. "Have you ever heard of the Sharpshooter?"

Really? Did he think Keith lived under a fucking _rock?_

Despite wanting to laugh (or at least snicker) at how oblivious Sendak apparently thought he was, Keith kept calm and collected. Professionalism for the paycheck. "The vigilante?" He asked. Sendak simply nodded.

Now, Sharpshooter was just one of a few popping up recently. Breaking up shady deals, messing with a couple merc groups' plans, messing with the Galra Empire a bit, that kinda stuff. 

The most powerful vigilante group, the Lions, had one of the best shots in the past couple centuries- Sharpshooter. But it wasn't just them. There was also the Hacker- what they did was pretty obvious. The Engineer- built top-of-the-line mechs and turrets. The Wild Card- yes, that was how people referred to them. Again, pretty easy to guess why. Then the Leader and their Right Hand Man. One of them showing up was pretty rare. But it happened occasionally. And when it did, the result was never pretty.

With how much the Lions bothered both mercenary groups and the Galra Empire, it didn't take long to realize what the Galra commander wanted him to do. Taking out Sharpshooter definitely wouldn't be easy, but it would cripple the Lions.

Not that Keith really cared about that part of the bargain. He'd heard of the Lions, but they only went after big groups. Breaking down monopolies and standing up for citizens stuck in shitty shifty spaceports. Like some kind of heroes or something. They did the right thing. He could respect that, at the least.

"You want me to take 'em out, right?" He asked, to make sure.

Sendak shook his head. "They won't be any use to me dead. I want you to bring them to the nearby Balmera as unharmed as possible."

Huh. Not his usual kind of job. Usually he smuggled or stole goods his employers wanted. He'd never had to 'smuggle' a _person_ before. Especially not a quick shot who could probably hit a target the size of a pin from a mile away. Subduing someone was a hell of a lot more challenging than just straight-up killing them.

Good thing Keith liked challenges. And high-paying jobs.

Speaking of which...

"That's not gonna come cheap, you know," he said, raising a brow. "How much would it be?" He took another sip of his drink. Sendak took a data-pad out of a pocket Keith didn't even know his armor had and slid it over on the table.

Taking a drink turned out to be a _huge_ mistake, because Keith came very close to spitting it all out when he saw the total number. He thankfully didn't, but he did swallow it all down in one gulp. Something he regretted very quickly as the drink suddenly seared his throat and left a dry itch behind.

There were a lot of zeroes.

Like, a _lot_ of them. Much more than he'd ever hoped to have at one time.

"I..." He couldn't hide his wide-eyed surprise. When he looked up at Sendak, he saw the irritating smug smile on his face. He knew he had Keith. Hook, line, and sinker. Keith got his composure back quickly, clearing his throat. "Good enough, I suppose. Anything I need to know?"

Sendak gave him a curt nod. "Two things, actually." He held up two fingers. "One- like I said, Sharpshooter's no use to me dead. I find out you botched the job," he took the data-pad out of Keith's hands. "You won't see a penny of this. Are we clear?"

How incompetent did he think Keith was? 

He pushed down the slowly growing anger, meeting Sendak's hard gaze without a hint of hesitation. "Crystal," he said. "And the second thing you wanted to mention?"

Sendak looked away. Probably to find the pocket for his data-pad. "You'd better hurry," he started. "Sharpshooter's alone at the Lions' Den on Tulana." Okay, it wasn't that far away. The next city over, actually. It would only take Red a couple minutes at most. "And I've heard The Rising Suns, the Brotherhood, and the Harbingers are staging an attack as we speak."

Oh.

Oh _shit._

If three of the biggest, richest, most volatile mercenary groups were closing in on Sharpshooter, they didn't have long. Which meant _he_ didn't have long if he wanted the reward. Which, duh, he did.

"Then I'd better get going," he said, getting out of his seat. "I'll contact you when the job's done." He didn't even wait for the commander's response. Just hurriedly rushed out of the building. Barely paying attention to anything around him as he ran for the parking garage. 

It was way past Unaril's curfew by now, the giant white full moon comfortable in it's place in the night sky. But curfew was just for show anyways. Everyone knew that.

As he ran for the parking garage, leaving a dusty trail behind him, Keith pulled up the hood of his dark brown cloak. His mask was in one of his pockets. He fumbled around in both, feeling for it... Aha! There it was! He pulled the mask over his eyes with practiced familiarity. By now, he could even put it on with his hood up. It was a bit more difficult, with him being in such a hurry, but it was manageable.

He had to admit, the outfit looked strange. Not to mention very suspicious. But it was enough to disguise his identity during particularly tough jobs with high security. And this job was probably gonna be one of his hardest yet.

Getting a highly dangerous vigilante out of an even more dangerous situation in one piece would definitely be a feat to go on the résumé. If he bothered having one.

Red was easy to pick out of the array of spaceships parked in the large assorted plot. Most looked run-down and scratched up in varying degrees, some worse for wear than others. Some were huge frigates, heavily secured by energy tethers. Those only turned off if you somehow managed to break the vibranium cuffs that powered them. It was doable, given time, but very difficult.

Other ships were tiny, pitiful things. Most of those types were a patchwork of recycled parts obviously built a long time ago. They didn't have anything tethering them down. Probably because the owners knew no one in their right mind would try to steal a pile of scraps over all the other ships in the lot. Or maybe they _wanted_ someone to take the hunk of junk off their hands to get something better with the insurance money. Either way, he didn't waste much time thinking about it too much. He didn't have time to waste.

Red was the comfortable middle. She was obviously an older model, and her sheen of red paint was flaked off a bit at the edges. But she was in tip-top shape for her age. She wasn't too big, but she was big enough to house four people. Which she did, about a year ago. 

She was the ride for his little amateur merc group. It was just him and three friends trying to scrape together cash, but they'd had some good times together. Until it eventually ended. 

It didn't end dramatically, with loud arguments and slammed doors. They just kinda... drifted apart. They wanted a break from the chaos of merc life. Family matters. Or they wanted to find more to life. Those were, in order, the stories they told him when they each eventually asked to be dropped off on Earth.

The last one left him a year ago. Keith hasn't heard a peep from any of them since. Not even a text message.

But he shouldn't think of that now. He had a job to do.

When Keith reached Red, he placed his palm on the scanner next to the door. After a few moments that felt way too long to him, the device glowed green and gave him a confirmatory beep. The lock clicked out of place, and the door slid open for him. The rickety steps creaked loudly as they extended themselves for him. They didn't always work right, so he'd gotten used to getting in without them, but it was nice when they actually decided to cooperate with him.

He went in quickly, heading straight for the cockpit. Every second mattered. He didn't have time to wait for the door to close before Red started running. The hiss of the door shutting didn't even register in his mind.

Instead, Keith plopped down in his old leather pilot chair and worked on starting Red up. He'd done it dozens of times by now- it was practically muscle memory at this point. But sometimes it would take Red longer to get going than others. He prayed internally to whatever-the-hell-would-listen that this wasn't one of those times.

"C'mon girl," he muttered under his breath, working at the startup controls. "Work with me here."

As if to respond, Red's engine started up with a resonating purr. It thrummed through the entire ship, a subtle vibration he barely noticed anymore. Systems came to life faster than they usually did. The thrusters started up quickly, ready to propel him to his destination whenever he was ready.

Keith smiled down at the console. "Good girl."

Keith put the thrusters on to full capacity. Red shot out like a bullet streaking through the lot. He gripped the wheel for dear life, barely able to turn it just enough so Red didn't hit one of the other ships. He'd forgotten how fast the thrusters could be. The risks of going so fast were scary, looming over him every time he narrowly missed another ship.

But it was also exhilarating. The sensation of his back pressed against the old pilot seat, his iron grip on the wheel making his fingers a bit sore, the rumble throughout the ship that rocked him to the core when Red ascended into the night sky. It made his blood rush, his heart pump. It made him feel _alive._ A million times more than he ever would on Earth or any cushy colony.

Usually he'd stay there for a while, riding the adrenaline rush for all it was worth, but he didn't have time. He had a job to do and a vigilante to protect.

So instead, Keith lined Red up to the horizon. She ran like a shooting star, a little trail of smoke following her wake. It made him feel like he was piloting a forest fire. A forest fire that thankfully stayed in stable condition as they raced through the ashy gray desert.

Another thing that he loved about his ship- she was reliable. She could break down sometimes and give him (and his bank account) hell. But when he truly needed her, she was better than ever. He didn't know how or why. He didn't really bother questioning it.

It didn't take him long to notice Tulana in the distance. It shone like a beacon in the plain dry landscape, lighting up the night in an assorted mix of colors. Unlike Unaril, Tulana was vibrant, bursting with life at all hours. The guards weren't as easily bought either. It was a very popular city.

But none of the buildings really stood out to him as a place vigilantes would hang out at first. 

Neon colors and pounding music poured out of the city, making themselves known more and more the closer Red got. He looked down at the various buildings. Maybe Lion's Den was a club? Or-

A tall pure white building at the outskirts of town caught his attention. It looked like it was Altean, so it already stuck out like a sore thumb. Not to mention it was slightly bigger than most of the buildings in the town, and it was pristine. There wasn't any loud thumping music or anything most clubs played. But none of that had him convinced that he'd found what he was looking for.

He pressed a blue button on his console. Before he left to go back to his family on Earth, one of his buddies, Matt, left Keith a little... parting present. Something to remember him by. And one of the reasons Red was so precious to him; something that made him even more reluctant to let her go.

It was highly experimental tech. Matt tried to explain all the details of how it was able to work in such an 'old' model after he installed it, but all Keith really cared about was if it worked. He couldn't use it too often or for too long; it'd overheat Red's systems and cook him like an egg if he was inside. He saved it for emergency purposes only.

This was definitely an emergency- he needed to get in and get Sharpshooter out without any of the mercs shooting Red down. He'd need to blend in and keep quiet.

Thankfully, that was what the upgrade did- silenced Red's emissions and made her and anyone inside blend in with her surroundings for as long as it was activated. Looking down at the situation below him, he mentally thanked Matt for the foresight.

The array of average-sized merc ships parked outside got his attention. The sound of gunfire from below as Red flew closer to the commotion kept it.

The opening to the Lion's Den led out to a dark concrete road lined with bright cyan blue lights in short bursts at the outer sides. Most of the ships huddled together near the end, and he could see a few mercs inching in on the entrance. The ones in front seemed less equipped than the ones waiting in the back.

The ones in front didn't really last long. From what he could see, they were either shot by a sniper- probably Sharpshooter- or one of the other defenses. He was willing to bet Sharpshooter's buddies left him a few toys before leaving them behind to wherever-the-fuck. Toys that did their jobs pretty well, he couldn't help but notice when he saw one mech take out five mercs before it was finally gunned down for good.

Sharpshooter was in pretty stable condition for now, but Keith knew that wouldn't last long. They'd run out of mechs and bullets long before the groups ran out of manpower. It seemed the strategy for the higher-ups was waiting for the grunts to waste both before rushing in and finishing them off and taking the glory (and money) for themselves.

Already they were chipping away pretty quickly. From all the progress they were making, Keith guessed Sharpshooter would run out of mechs in about 10 to 15 minutes tops. Once those were taken care of, there'd be nothing to stop the mercs from going in and overwhelming the lone sniper.

Which meant Keith had to find someplace to land Red. Someplace closer to Sharpshooter.

Red drifted around to the back of the Lion's Den, keeping his eyes peeled for any possibilities. There were some potential landing spots he noticed right away, but none of them would work. They were either too small to land on safely, or they were closed off by thick-looking metal doors. It would probably waste too much time trying to get one of those to open. Time he couldn't really afford to lose right now.

He kept them in mind for a worst-case scenario, but he kept looking for something better. Something open just enough for him to get through. Somewhere just open enough for him to land Red. Hopefully somewhere close enough to Sharpshooter so he didn't waste too much time trying to get up to them. He didn't ask for too much, in his own opinion.

Thankfully, the universe listened to his request and sent him an answer in the form of a wide balcony. It was pretty high up on the building, with various round tables and chrome white chairs pushed into messy groups pressed against the balcony's glowing glass railings. They left a spot open just big enough for Red to hover and touch down.

As he positioned Red over to land, he noticed something else. The entrance to the balcony wasn't closed by a door. Instead, a shimmery translucent covering tinted by blue filled the arch-like doorway. It allowed him to see inside like he was looking through rippling waters.

Red touched down on the metal as gently and as quietly as possible. He pressed the blue button once again and watched as her invisible cover shimmered off. He needed to save the energy. Not to mention Sendak probably wouldn't be too happy if he found out Keith managed to cook both himself and Sharpshooter just 'cause he was stupid enough to leave the upgrade on for too long.

Keith moved out his pilot's chair and to Red's doors. He didn't even wait for the steps to creakily extend for him. He was too focused on the figure he could see through the waterfall-like door. They were just a watercolor mess of white and bright blue right now, but he knew they were humanoid. Right now they had their back turned to him, and he could see they were holding an Altean-looking rifle. The wall they faced had a narrow cut-out round window they used to perch their gun upon. There was a light blue electronic console on the left side of the window, and they sat on a metal crate. Empty ammo boxes littered the floor around them.

Sharpshooter.

 _Gotcha,_ Keith thought as he inched closer and closer to the door. He moved as quietly as he could, watching Sharpshooter's movements. He was tense and ready to get the hell out of the way if Sharpshooter whirled around. He'd prefer not to get greeted by a bullet from one of the universe's best shots.

The door didn't make any sound as he passed through it. It felt like water against his clothes, but when he came out the other side, they were perfectly dry. Not a single drop stained him. It was weird, but he didn't have time to focus too much on little details like that.

The moment he stepped through, two bright blue Altean drones came out and floated toward him warningly. Sharpshooter held their hand up in a stopping gesture. The drones stopped, hovering around Keith. Ready to fire if necessary.

"That's close enough," the unnaturally deep voice with a synthesized edge sounded. Probably from the helmet they were wearing. "Who is it?"

"I'm here to get you out," he said. It wasn't a complete lie. He almost didn't notice how Sharpshooter tensed up slightly at his voice. "...My name is-"

Sharpshooter shushed him. They moved their hand back to their sniper rifle. He barely heard them let out a puff of breath over the chaos below them. 

A shot cracked through the air like thunder, and some poor shmuck fell to the floor with a new forehead decoration. They moved their gun out of position with a dissatisfied grunt and pressed a button on the console. A cover shimmered into existence, protecting the opening from any bullets that managed to make it that far. Sharpshooter leaned his rifle against the wall and turned to him.

Their armor was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It was probably Altean, mainly 'cause it seemed everything in this place was. The armor pieces were mainly white, with blue decorations and pieces inbetween. The undersuit was dark gray and had two darker lines running down their body. Their helmet's black visor covered their face entirely, hiding anything visual about their identity. The chestplate had a stylized 'v' symbol on it, like they were trying to be some kind of superhero or something.

Then again, Keith couldn't really say much against it. He looked like a pirate or ship scavenger.

"I know who you are," Sharpshooter told him, casually leaning against the wall. Like there weren't bullets flying against the surface their head rested. "I gotta say- the costume still looks good on you, Keith." They waved their hand to the side and the drones backed off of him. "How've you been, man? We haven't talked in _forever."_

Out of all the ways he thought they were gonna react, this... wasn't one of them. Sharpshooter already knew about him? _Sharpshooter_ already knew about _him??_ How in the hell did an infamous vigilante know some barely-scraping-by merc?

Okay. He could deal with this. They didn't sound mad, so he probably didn't have to worry too much.

"I'm... good?" He said like it was a question. A really stupid question. "I've been good, I guess."

Sharpshooter chuckled. "You sure about that?" They asked in a teasing tone the voice modifier managed to convey. "You don't sound like it."

"Sorry," he said. "I just..." He looked for the right words to say, but they were nowhere to be found. So he just decided to tell the truth. "I don't really know who you are. Have we met?"

"Oh, Keith," they said. "Buddy. Mi tesoro. We've done a lot more than just _meet."_ Keith blinked at them. They sounded familiar, but he couldn't really place it. Not yet. "Nothing?" Keith shook his head. They sighed and reached for their helmet. "Maybe I can jog your memory a lil bit."

As they lifted it off their head, the visor dissolved. The face of the infamous Sharpshooter stared back at him. His heart skipped a beat at the sight.

He knew those lips with a small pale scar through the left side from a bottle smashed on him during the bar fight at Purgatory two years ago. He knew that self-assured smile from many different times- one being while the two were hiding behind the counter for cover when the bandits started firing. He knew that sweat-slicked caramel skin with a spray of faint freckles across his sharp nose. Those deep blue eyes had looked and winked at him many times.

"Lance," he breathed out the name like that was the only way to make him real. To make sure he was really _here._

Lance smiled at him. "Keith."

Lance was Sharpshooter. Thinking about it, Keith could definitely see it now. Even back when they were merc partners, Lance was a pretty good shot. None of them bothered to tell him that- all it would do was inflate his massive ego even more. He doubted that changed about him over the year they didn't talk.

"So," Lance said, standing up from his seat. "You're here to get me out, right?" His gaze flickered to behind Keith. His brows raised in slight surprise. "You _still_ have Red?"

"Yeah," he said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Lance dismissed. "Just surprised that hunka' junk still works, is all."

"Don't call her that," Keith said. "She's been good to me. To us." He raised a brow in a teasing way. "But if you want, I could just climb back into my 'hunka junk' over here and leave you to your new buddies." He gestured to the window, where the mercs were dealing with the last few Gladiator mechs. "They should be visiting you soon."

Lance stepped up to him with an easy smile and arms crossed. To Keith's disappointment, Lance was still an inch or so taller than him. His fancy Altean boots gave him an extra inch on Keith. "You talk a big game," he said. "But I know you, mójol. You wouldn't just leave me behind." He shot Keith a knowing look. "You'd miss me too much."

Keith stepped up to him, easing into the old game with a familiarity he'd almost forgotten. "Trust me," he told him. "You don't need to worry about me. I think I can manage."

"Oh really?" Lance stepped to him until they were barely centimeters apart. "Prove it, Kogane." He leaned forward until the two were face to face. If anyone else had tried doing that, Keith would've shoved them away and stormed off.

But this was _Lance._ This was just how the two of them used to be with each other. Playful bickering, all bark with no real bite.

 _God,_ had Keith missed it.

The two kept their intense stare-off for a few more moments before the tension finally broke them. The two broke out laughing. Lance clapped him on the shoulder, all of the smug aggression completely gone.

"Oh man," Lance said, putting an arm around him. "I missed you, dude." His expression shifted. Instead of happiness, it turned into sudden thoughtfulness. Keith could already tell he wasn't gonna like whatever popped into his head. "But how'd you-"

He didn't get the chance to finish that question.

A loud _boom_ echoed through the building. It made the floor under their feet quiver. The walls rumbled. The smell of melting metal and smoke reached them. A lot of pairs of footsteps sounded far off down the empty hallways, and the alarms started to blare throughout the whole building. The two looked at each other, tinted in red light. Both of them had the same thought.

The mercs got in. They were gonna get there soon.

"Later?" Keith asked.

Lance nodded. "Later," he affirmed.

The two raced for the doorway out to the balcony. The footsteps were getting louder, less muffled as they got closer. The dry heat of the air outside greeted them like an old friend as they both headed for Red. Her door was still open, the old steps reaching out for them. He could faintly hear the gruff-voiced orders of one of the higher-ups barking at the others to _'get this door open Marmora-damn-it, do you want a paycheck or not?'_

They didn't have a lot of time.

Lance headed in first, landing on his usual spot on the old cream-colored leather couch. He laid out on it like he'd never left it. Like he never left him alone for an entire damn _year._

Keith quickly squashed those thoughts deep down. He didn't really have time to be bitter at the moment. He was focused on getting this job done with his life. There'd be time to sort out his feelings later, when they were headed to the Balmera.

Keith followed close behind in a beeline for the pilot's chair. He didn't even wait to start re-activating Red 'til he sat down, just started pressing the familiar buttons. Red responded, engines purring to life under his fingertips. He almost couldn't hear it over the heartbeat in his ears. His fingers were quick and jittery, shaky with the sudden adrenaline. If he didn't know Red's systems like the back of his hand, he definitely would've made a couple mistakes starting her up.

"Good girl," he muttered down to her as she hovered up tentatively, waiting for a new command. "Let's get outta here."

 _"Dude,"_ Lance's voice close behind him totally didn't make him jump in his seat. Not at all. He looked behind him to find a familiar teasing expression. "You _still_ talk to your ship?"

"Yeah," he said defensively. "Why is that so weird to you?" Red cruised up to the atmosphere. 

"Oh, I dunno," he said with a shrug. "Maybe 'cause it's a ship, not a _poodle?"_

"She's been a _reliable_ ship," Keith told him. "Not to mention she's the one that just pulled your sorry ass outta the fire. So I'd shut up if I were you, shirau."

Lance blinked down at him. "What did you just call me?" He didn't sound offended by it. (Which meant he didn't know what it meant- _little shit,_ basically.)

"Don't worry about it," he brushed it off. "It's Olkarian."

"You learned Olkarian?" Lance asked.

He shrugged. "A lil bit," he said. "For a few jobs a while back. It's easier to deal with people without translators that way." Red rumbled a bit as they punched through the atmosphere. Everything was in pretty good condition, so it wasn't anything to worry about.

"Makes sense." He could feel Lance lean against his chair. "So what does 'shirau' mean? I feel like you just called me 'Little Idiot' or something like that."

Keith couldn't help but snicker at that. "You're pretty close," he said. "But not quite."

Lance huffed out a breathy laugh. "Why, you little-"

A red warning light lit up on his console, beeping to get their attention. Something was wrong. The reason why popped up on his screen a moment later- a scanner picking up that ships were following them. A _lot_ of ships. Ships that were catching up to them quicker than he'd like.

"Shit," he muttered and turned to Lance. "Buckle in. This is gonna be a bumpy ride."

Lance nodded and patted the top of his chair. "Just like old times, huh?"

"Yeah," he said. "Let's just hope this goes better than some of the old times. I don't wanna make an 'emergency landing.'" Red probably wouldn't be able to handle it if he did. She was good, but she had limits. He just hoped he wouldn't cross one of them right now. He needed the money.

Though, Sharpshooter turning out to be Lance... complicated things a bit. He didn't make that many friends in his line of work. Lance was one of the lucky ones counted among them. Sure, he was annoying and flirted with anything vaguely human-shaped. They didn't always see eye to eye and their serious fights could get pretty violent.

But despite all that, Lance stuck with him. Through thick and thin, even when Hunk and Matt left to go their own way. He'd pulled the both of them out of plenty of sticky situations back when they were working together. 

His life would've ended up very differently if Lance had never been part of it. Did he really want to throw that all away for a paycheck?

Usually, the answer would be easy for him- _hell no._ No hesitation at all. Money was very nice, but it was easier to get than a friend like Lance. He didn't have so many friends that he could afford to throw them away like garbage.

But this _particular_ paycheck made it a different story. It was a lot of money. Enough for him to retire to some nice planet and live out the rest of his days. Maybe go back to school and actually make something of his life instead of running around and getting shot at for some shmuck with a lot of money. Hell, if he took this deal, he could probably afford to become one of those shmucks. He'd get something he'd always wanted- the chance to be more than just the stereotypical Galra half-breed thug.

So on one hand- more money than he'd ever need. On the other- a loyal friend who was probably worth a hell of a lot more than the price placed on his head.

 _Shit,_ he'd gotten himself into quite the problem. Either way, he was gonna lose something big.

The only question was- what would he rather lose?

A bright yellow beam of energy shooting out amid the darkness of space barely missing Red snapped him out of it. He'd have time for an internal debate later. Right now, it looked like he'd have to be lucky to be able to make that decision. A paycheck or a good friend couldn't help you if you were dead.

More beams shot at them, forcing him to maneuver around jerkily. No matter how many he avoided, it looked like more were headed for him. The number of ships on his tail grew. He couldn't keep this up forever. He could only dodge and try to run for so long before one of those shots hit their target.

Red staggered and rumbled as three shots consecutively hit her broadside. Flashing red messages popped up in front of him- saying helpful stuff that totally didn't stress him out more like _Shields at 20% capacity_ and _Emergency power activated._

Things went to hell in a handbasket real fast after that.

The ride only got bumpier as Red struggled to keep going. She moved a lot more sluggishly, making her an easier target. More and more shots hit her, causing alarms to blare and her pilot working overtime just to keep her from shutting down. Emergency pop ups littered his screen, kind enough to remind him how shitty the situation was getting. _Like he didn't fucking know that already._

Emergency power was running out fast. Shields were down, and one of the engines went out completely after a lucky bullet tore through it. The other one wasn't doing so hot.

He felt Lance's knuckles on his shoulder. Even when he tore his eyes off the console to see what was up, his fingers still moved rapidly. He was fighting a losing battle, but damn if he wasn't gonna go down trying his hardest.

A small dark gray disc rested in Lance's palm. A thin bright blue ring pattern was inside, surrounding what seemed to be a button. He looked up to see Lance's face covered by his helmets visor. But this time, he could actually see Lance's face underneath.

"The hell is that?" He asked, yelling over the alarms.

"Matt's sibling came up with it," Lance told him. "The specifics are too long to explain. It basically makes your own temporary little atmosphere around your body." He gestured to it. "Put it on. You're probably gonna need it."

Usually, he'd ask about it. He wouldn't be so quick to try out something both Pidge made and Lance asked it to try out. In any other case, he'd think it was some kind of prank the two thought up. 

But right now wasn't really the time to second-guess.

He took it from Lance's hand and fumbled with it for a second. Mainly trying to figure out how it worked, not to mention how to put the damn thing on. It was hard to focus over Red's creaks and groans and the alarms practically screaming at them.

After a moment, he found the small clip on the underside of the little device and clipped it onto his cloak. He pressed the button in the middle. A translucent blue cover shimmered into existence over his entire body, leaving a trail of goosebumps down his skin. The sudden pins-and-needles chill momentarily distracted him.

A moment was all that was needed for everything to fall apart.

Red had been holding out so far, but the power she still had was quickly being used up. It wouldn't be long until she shut down completely. A big blue planet quickly overtook his screen's outside view. It didn't look like it had any land, but it was better than just floating around in space. If he was lucky, he could try to land her down there before--

Another blast made her rattle. Her lone engine rumbled for a moment, then sputtered out completely. The smell of smoke reached them as a fire warning popped up on his screen. It flashed in warning once before all power went out. They were left in the darkness drifting towards an unknown watery planet faster than the snap of his fingers.

 _At least it'll put the fire out,_ Keith couldn't help but think.

Red was pulled into the planet's atmosphere easily, the gravity grabbing at her with invisible hands. Trying to pull them under like sirens in the briny tide. Even through the cool cover of Pidge's device, he could feel the temperature quickly heating up as they streaked down.

He grabbed for Lance's hand. It was hard to see his expression in the darkness, but he could just make out the wide-eyed surprise at the sudden touch. Followed shortly by a sad smile as the sharpshooter intertwined their fingers and squeezed reassuringly. Keith smiled back.

In that moment, he accepted what was probably going to end up happening. In that moment, he was just happy he wasn't gonna die alone.

That was the last thing he felt before Red plunged into the dark water with an ear-splitting crash and a chunk of thick broken screen went right for his head. The pain didn't even register for a moment before he plunged into his own weightless darkness.

-

This day had started out pretty well. The Lions had known about the planned attack for a while now, so Allura and the others left him with the mechs about a week ago. Someone needed to stay behind to hold down the fort while the others high-tailed it to Altea. He had his own cozy little alcove where he could funnel any unwanted visitors into scope, and it was fun exploring the Lion's Den, so why not stay behind?

But when they promised to get someone to pick him up as soon as possible, he never would've imagined they'd pick _Keith_ of all people to do it. They hadn't really been able to talk much- Allura was pretty strict on her 'no outside communications' rule. Not to mention, Keith was a pretty private person. Covered up his tracks and hid himself away from everyone except his contacts. So the fact that they'd been able to find him at all was surprising.

Still, it was nice to see him again. The guy still wasn't too hard on the eyes. His space pirate getup was still a little stupid, but it... kinda fit Keith. As did his precious Red. Gave him a sort of mysterious bad-boy junker merc look that he pulled off almost _too_ well.

Lance shut his eyes just before impact. He knew it was gonna be ugly, but he didn't expect to see Keith floating limply an inch or so off his seat. A bit of blood ran down his forehead, staining his stupid little mask. A few drops made it past his little oxygen bubble and filled a part of the water like drops of dark red food coloring.

Lance had to admit, he panicked for a sec. If Keith died, it would be on his hands. He never would've been in this situation if Lance hadn't stayed behind. If the others hadn't hired him to pull him out of the frying pan.

Out of both of them, Keith wasn't the one that deserved to get tossed into the fire. In his own humble opinion, he was a shitty cause to die for.

He fumbled with the scanner activation, his fingers shaky and uncoordinated. His heart felt like it was trying to claw out of his chest. His blood roared in his ears, making him unable to hear anything else other than his own voice.

"Please don't be dead," he said hoarsely. "I swear to God, Kogane, if you die on me I'm gonna whoop your ass." Keith would've snickered at that. Then probably poke fun at how someone so lanky could never beat Mr. 'No-Days-Off' in hand-to-hand.

Keith said nothing. Just kept floating possibly dead in the water.

Finally his scanner decided to have mercy on him and activated with a short beep. Blue light shot out at Keith's body, running up and down it several times. Text appeared on his visor telling him to _Please wait..._ as the dots disappeared and reappeared over and over again.

"Come on," he muttered. If he ever saw Pidge again, he was gonna have to ask them to build faster scanners. The wait was killing him. The fingers not grasping onto Keith's drummed impatiently on the arm of the pilot's chair. If opening his visor wasn't a death sentence, he'd probably be chewing his nails. _"Please."_

He didn't really know who he was pleading with- the scanner, Keith, or maybe even God- but it didn't really matter to him. It'd just be nice if one of them decided to listen to him and show him Keith wasn't dead.

"Don't be dead," he said, holding onto Keith's limp hand a little tighter. He repeated the simple hushed request a few more times like a holy mantra. Maybe if he held on and pleaded enough, Keith might hear him and open his eyes. 

Keith's eyes had always been fascinating to him- a strange dark purple that seemed to pierce into your soul and scan you for all you were worth. It was rare (but _so_ worth it) to see anything but the same neutral coolness they always had. Getting through that barrier was hard, at first- Keith wasn't the most accommodating person ever. 

But once you scaled up and over that tall wall, Keith was an open book. Honest and open with how he felt towards you. If he was pissed at you for some reason, you'd know. If he was just messing around with you on an occasion as rare as raining diamonds, you'd know pretty quickly. If he liked you, you'd _definitely_ know. It was just hard getting him to poke his head out of the shell he liked to hide in.

Keith's friendship was hard to get, but it was worth holding on to. Once he liked you enough, he'd take a couple bullets for you. Lance had tested that a couple times over the years. If you asked him to, he'd follow you into Hell itself.

The feeling was mutual between them. Keith was one of his best friends. If he'd died trying to help him, he's... not really sure if he could live with himself.

Thankfully, the words _Scan complete_ popped up on his visor brought him out of his thoughts. Facts about Keith popped up a moment later, mainly stuff Lance already knew about him like his name, age, height, et cetera. The words _Galra-blooded_ caught his attention for a second. But then the vitals showed up on his screen, and anything else but an overwhelming wave of relief was forgotten.

Keith was alive. He was okay, just knocked unconscious. The cut would have to be tended to later, but it wouldn't kill him.

Lance let out a relieved sigh. That was one worry taken care of for now.

Now he could move onto a different concern- where the hell were they? He'd heard of underwater planets before, but usually they had inhabitants of some kind. Inhabitants who probably wouldn't appreciate some random ship crash-landing on their planet. Not to mention they'd probably try to eat them if they found out they were there.

His bayard was useless underwater, and the hand-to-hand specialist was unconscious and bleeding. Not to mention their only ship was damaged and slowly sinking to the bottom. 

_Fan-fucking-tastic._

He pulled Keith closer to him. His body moved through the water at the slight pull easily, drifting against Lance's armor. Lance put an arm around him securely and started to swim for a way out. Red's thick glass screen shattered open at the crash, leaving both tiny pieces of broken glass floating around them and a pretty sizable opening for them to leave through. He swam out cautiously, careful not to get Keith's clothes stuck on anything.

The water was surprisingly clear, allowing him to turn back and see Red sink down into the murky depths. Bubbles floated out of it as it went deeper and deeper down. The darkness swallowed it whole, and soon enough, the bubbles stopped rising up from where it was.

There was nothing he could've done to stop it, but he couldn't help but feel bummed out at watching Keith's precious ship sink down into assumed nothingness. That thing was practically his baby, and had been a pretty nice home to Lance for a couple years while he and his buddies explored the universe. Keith was definitely gonna be bummed out about it when he found out.

But first things first.

While they were going into this planet's atmosphere, he could've sworn he saw a small sliver of land. It wasn't much, but it'd be better than taking his chances against any 'pleasant surprises' that could be waiting for them down in the water. Even if it was a bit of a swim from where they were.

Lucky for the both of them, Lance was a pretty damn good swimmer. Not Olympian-level good, but he definitely wasn't an amateur doggy-paddler. So he picked a direction and started to swim.

It was a bit harder dragging an unconscious person along with him, but he managed just fine. Lucky for the both of them the water made Keith a pretty light burden. Positioning was a bit weird, but Lance managed to find a comfortable middle between swimming comfortably and making sure Keith didn't float away.

After a while, Lance saw the surface. Slivers of blue moonlight poked down at them. Dark clouds covered most of the sky, swirling around a point he couldn't see. They always moved. Though whether that was from the rippling waters or the clouds actually moving, he couldn't really tell.

In a single moment, he saw two different things. One filled him with hope. He could see the outline of trees reaching out for the sky and the bottom sloping up out of the surface a couple hundred feet away from them. An island.

The other filled him with dread. Out the corner of his eye, he spotted a shadow shift in the murky deep behind them. It moved like a snake, slivering it's way closer to their prey. And from the little bit of it he saw, it was _big._

Like the 'could-probably-swallow-the-two-of-them-whole' kind of big.

Great. This was just the kind of thing he needed right now.

He'd never tried out his suit's jet pack before. Never really had a reason to on any of their assignments. But if it worked underwater, it would probably be enough to get him to shore before their new friend tried to get any closer. Probably.

Well, there was no time like the present to try and find out.

Lance kept his grip on Keith tight, just in case. He didn't want to screw up and leave him behind for the creature slithering closer to them. With his other hand, he searched for the button to activate the boosters.

The creature was getting closer. Close enough to make out the bundle of dark armor-plated tentacles bundled together to look like a snake's tail. A red search light shot out of the darkness, fumbling around the water for the subject. It reached out like the beacon of a lighthouse on a foggy night, except much more eerie and possibly murderous. It slowly inched toward the two of them and settled once it found what it was looking for.

It covered both of them, but the focus of it seemed to be on Keith. Like he was the main actor in a play and Lance just happened to be in the same spotlight.

He didn't really wonder why. There was no real point. It didn't matter why the thing focused on Keith more than him, because the damn thing wasn't gonna get _either_ of them. Not if Lance could do something about it.

Turns out, he could.

The water around them heated up slightly as the boosters activated. He only had a split second to wrap his other arm around Keith before the two of them were propelled backwards. Lance held the body in his arms tightly as they glided through the water, getting further and further away from the creature. They left mounds of little bubbles and heated water in their wake as the shoreline got a _lot_ closer.

Through the waters, he could see the light searching for them. It swept left and right, moving in all possible directions, but it couldn't seem to find them again. The water muffled it a bit, but he could've sworn he could hear a deep muffled cry. It didn't sound angry in any way. If anything, it sounded almost... mournful. Like it was somehow losing something important by losing track of them. For a moment, he couldn't help but wonder why.

Whatever. It was probably just upset it lost it's dinner or something.

Thankfully, his pack went out before they could crash headfirst into the craggy rocks a few feet away from the shore. They looked both very sharp and _very_ hard. Probably hard enough to crack his helmet (and maybe his head) like a watermelon thrown at a wall. He was careful navigating through the spires so Keith's cloak didn't get snagged by the sharp points.

Lance surfaced inches from the shore, letting the gentle waves carry his aching body the rest of the way. He laid Keith down on the inky black sand next to him. Before doing anything else, he needed a second to recover.

As he laid down on the sand, tired and heavy, the reality of his situation dawned on him.

His suit was soaked thoroughly, the waves lapping at him not doing any favors to try and change that. He was alone with a friend who probably almost died on an unfamiliar alien planet. The others probably had no idea where he was, and they probably thought he was on his way back to Altea by now. They might not realize something was wrong for a few more days. For all he knew, he might not survive long enough for them to find him.

No. He wasn't gonna think like that. If he started thinking like that, it'll definitely end up that way. He'd rather give himself a fighting chance- not just for himself. For the others waiting for him at home, and for the one stuck in the same situation with him. That gave him reason enough to keep going. He wasn't gonna drag someone else down with him.

Lance snuck a glance over at Keith. Pidge's little device kept him completely dry underwater in his little oxygen bubble. He was still knocked out cold and bleeding, yet almost... peaceful at the same time. The guy spent so much of his time frowning and brooding, it was kinda weird to see him relaxed. His body didn't have any tension in it, just limply lying against the wet sand. His raven hair framed his face and fanned out a bit, and his lips were slightly parted. The sounds of waves coming in and out of shore matched the rhythm of his breathing. If he wasn't unconscious with a bleeding scrape on his forehead, Lance would call him breathtakingly beautiful. Like something out of a painting.

Thing was, Keith was still bleeding. Lance should probably do something about that while he had the chance. After everything they've been through, he wasn't gonna let him die of an infection on some uninhabited planet. That would just be _insulting._

Lance crawled with heavy limbs to Keith's side. Pidge, ever the genius, had tampered with his arm piece a little while back. It was experimental and not exactly mass-produced yet, but it worked. It was kinda like an antibacterial spray, and still did the same kind of thing, but it also did more. Helped blood clot on a wound quicker, helped cell regeneration on a nasty cut, and prevented or stopped early infections. It stung and burned like the deepest level of hell, but it'd saved his life on more than one occasion. 

Luckily he'd restocked on it just before the others left. Mainly to deal with any stray bullets that managed to punch through his armor, just in case. It never hurt to be prepared.

And now Keith was gonna benefit from Lance's caution.

Lance reached through the layer of air, gingerly moving the mask off of Keith's face. He left it to hang around his neck instead. Next, he brushed Keith's bangs away, keeping that part of his forehead clear to spray. Stubborn stray pieces stayed put, but he figured they wouldn't make things worse. So he finally put one hand on the nape of Keith's neck to hold up his head. Fingers tangled in thick black hair.

Now for the hardest part.

Without a second thought, Lance swung one leg to kneel on Keith's opposite arm. He shifted and positioned the other to do the same to the other. He just wanted to make sure Keith didn't try to wriggle away subconsciously from the pain, but it took him a moment to realize what his position looked like. Heat rushed to his face on instinct at the realization.

Like it or not, he was pretty much straddling Keith right now. And even with that realization, he wasn't gonna move off of him. Keith's safety was more important than Lance's embarrassment.

That sounded like a good enough excuse if Keith managed to wake up, right? He hoped so. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that, but anything could happen. This night had already been weird enough.

"Right hand- activate spray," he instructed, positioning the guard just below his right hand to point at Keith's cut. It beeped in confirmation. With a shuttered click, the small silver nozzle poked it's head out of it's blue shell. It took a few moments for it to power up.

A translucent misty spray the same color as newly-blown bubbles shot out with a familiar hiss. It landed on it's target easily- giving the skin around Keith's cut a dull shine. Already he could see the skin slowly inching together. It would take a few hours for it to close fully, but the skin would look good as new by then.

Keith's brows scrunched together the moment the spray touched his skin. A groggy groan rumbled from his throat like a half-asleep kid that didn't want to get up for school yet. It wouldn't surprise Lance if he mumbled _Just five more minutes, Mom._ Lance could feel the arms under his knees shift and wriggle, trying to move them from where they were. Probably to try and bat at whatever was trying to hurt him.  
+

Okay, holy shit this fic got way too ambitious. I started writing it the day after season 2 came out because I wanted a space pirate au based off their outfits at the mall, but it morphed into... this. I've been working on it on again and off again for months and at this rate, the show will be over before I finished this fic with all I had planned for it. I'm not good with longer oneshots.

But I didn't want it all to go to waste and stay unfinished in my notes forever. So this is what I had planned for this fic-

Keith wakes up the next morning to see Lance smiling over him and probably saying something like "Morning Sleeping Beauty" or maybe even "Hot Topic" ("aww, you think I'm hot.") They explore the planet for signs civilization or a place where signals could go through so Lance can call up his buddies the Voltron crew to pick them up.

However thick clouds constantly swirling at one point in the far off distance seem to block it and the planet's abandoned. Cue more of Keith's Growing Gay Crush on his Closest Bro/Possible Paycheck and Lance's Growing Gay Crush on his Bro but neither of them are gonna talk about it for as long as humanly possible.

Because no matter the AU, these two are fucking emotionally constipated idiots. Communicating about your feelings?? They don't know her.

After some more of that Good-Kush Bonding, the two end up spending a night in a cave. Probably because it's storming outside and the rain's like acid or something. Anyways they have a nostalgic conversation about the Good Old Days leading up to-

Keith: "...You know, when you guys left, I missed all of you. But you were--" He stops because hoh shit he just felt a pricking sensation in his leg and it's completely numb now.

Lance is confused.

And gets even more so when Keith just starts fucking _screaming_ because _Oh God it hurts hello darkness my old friend I think I'm going blind this is it this is how I die_ and more freaking out while Lance is getting freaked out.

But Lance, being a Good Bro, manages to suck the poison out.

But Lance, being a Fucking Idiot, accidentally swallows said poison.

Keith freaks out even more, believing that Lance is going to die and it's his fault. He probably confesses some stuff but Lance just... goofily grins.

Keith stops. "Lance, are you... okay? You look... kinda high right now."

"Whaddya talkin' about?" His voice is slurred. He is Very Fucked Up but doesn't really mind. "I feel fine. In fact," Bedroom eyes cranked up to max, Lance slides closer to a petrified Keith. _"I've never felt more alive."_ Is the last thing Keith hears before Lance is kissing him. It's sloppy as hell, but A+ for effort and Keith doesn't really give a damn because _holy shit Lance is kissing him this is worth more than all the credits in the whole Universe screw Sendak_

He considers taking it back when Lance pulls away to throw up on him and pass out. But he just cleans them both up the best he can. He sees a red light pointed at him in the horizon.

Cut to Lance's POV of him waking up sober with a killer headache. But Keith is there to give him some mushed up local food that's safe to eat, a warm smile, and a "Good Morning, Kadan."

Does Lance remember what happened after he sucked the poison out? Of course not. He also doesn't know what Kadan means, but he just assumes Keith's insulting him. When he asks Keith what happened, Keith doesn't mention the kiss. Just that Lance mumbled something, threw up on him, and passed out.

Honest, open communication?? In my Klance dynamic?? Not this time honey boo boo.

But while Lance was passed out, Keith met the hugeass metallic sea monster with the red light- Amshiraan. A former local who had his entire race transformed into early Robeasts to hunt down and kill the other races so the Galra could take the resources they needed. His kind was brainwashed to be feral killing machines unless someone Galra-blooded was around. After the Galra had all they needed, they left the planet. Leaving Amshiraan and his brethren to hunt down anything they could find until the only life left on the planet was them.

Amshiraan was the sole survivor of that long conflict. He's old and tired of living alone, but he's spent a good majority of his life ruining lives. Being around Keith was enough to wake him up and make him realize he wanted his last act to save a couple of lives for once.

He wasn't even an oc of mine before this fic but I love him so much.

Keith introduces them and tells Lance the plan they made up. There's a tower generating the signal-blocking clouds up in the mountains and a generator poisoning the planet's core in a deep underwater base. They're connected. The only way to get a signal out and help the planet get better is to destroy both at once. Amshiraan agrees to escort Keith to the base with the generator safely in exchange for one simple thing- after they finish the plan, Keith has to bond with him as his Galran masters used to.

And Keith has to kill him. Easy and quick.

After a long argument/discussion between them, Lance and Keith agree to the plan. Lance gives him Pidge's bubble device. Keith almost kisses him but chickens out last second and goes off with Amshiraan. 

Of course, there are issues on both sides. There's violent winds up by the tower and Lance nearly falls a few times as he climbs up. Amshiraan goes wild after losing sight of Keith and nearly destroys the base in an instinctual mindless frenzy.

But they manage to get through it. Neither walk out unscathed, but they both get through it.

At the shore, Amshiraan solemnly apologizes for what he did. But he reasons that's why Keith must do what he must do. Keith doesn't really want to kill him, but he can see why he wants to die. So with a heavy heart, Keith upholds his promise.

Amshiraan's scarred metal tentacle rises up out of the water, weathered with the burden of thousands of years too many. It's huge, easily the size of a small building. But it rests at Keith's feet gingerly, almost expectantly. Keith places a hand on the cool wet metal and is immediately flooded with waves of Feelings. A lot of age-old sadness in the background, but now it's mostly just a vibrating and building up yearning. A yearning that makes his chest ache and tears race down his cheeks.

He sees a small red core in a cage, but the cage dissipates once he gets closer to it. The core beats like a heart, glowing in and out in his non-physical hands. It's everything of Amshiraan's- his life, his feelings, every experience- in one frail and small package.

He crushes it. And the last words Amshiraan ever says are simple and quiet- "thank you."

Lance watches as his blinking red light finally goes out, and his body goes limp and slides back into the water. Where he sinks down into the depths like Red did.

He puts a hand on Keith's shoulder to console him. He expects Keith to lash out, lock up, or do nothing. But Keith doesn't do any of those things.

Keith kisses him.

They call up Allura- the Leader- to come pick them up at their coordinates. It'll take a couple hours, but she agrees. While they're waiting, they finally talk and get their issues squared up. They explain everything to each other there, sitting next to each other on the sand, and watch the sun set together.

Bada bing bada boom happy ending.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated!  
> my tumblr: squishy--squish


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